Regency Centers and Melrose Market: Small Business Saturday Night Market

Melrose Night Market

Community = Good Business. This is the Polite Society motto, and it’s at the heart of everything we do. In 2019, we were approached to throw a winter event for Melrose Market on Capitol Hill. 

 As we brainstormed concepts, we decided the best date for such an event would be on Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting your neighborhood businesses and uplifting the local economy. With an event space on the bottom floor, this was the perfect location for our Night Market. 

 Melrose Market itself is comprised of small, local businesses with a common thread; they all value local, sustainable, premium products. By partnering with Seattle Made, a local nonprofit, whose mission aligns with the market business’ beliefs, we were able to bring in 22 makers to create a European holiday-inspired bazaar.

The footprint of the building was such that we could flow the foot traffic from the upstairs Melrose Market tenants down to the bazaar space downstairs. We were also able to leverage the reach of the businesses and the nonprofit partner to generate more attendance and interest in the event. A win-win for all involved! 

 On Saturday, November 30th, we filled Melrose Market Studios with the local makers who create everything from handcrafted jewelry to caramels, perfumes and much more! In addition to visiting the market and bazaar, visitors could buy raffle tickets to win one of three baskets filled with a mix of themed goods from Melrose Market and Seattle Made vendors, with all proceeds benefiting Seattle Made. 

 The day after Black Friday is naturally a busy day for Melrose Market’s tenants, with an influx of holiday customers in Seattle looking for places to dine and shop. To ensure customers were welcomed to the market, we placed local buskers throughout the upstairs space to give it a lively and cohesive feel. A guitarist serenaded diners and shoppers on Melrose Market’s main floor, along with a balloon artist and origami artist who dazzled visitors with a little piece of art they could take home with them. In the event space below, the scene was set by another musician playing holiday songs, an artist who created poetry and watercolor prints for attendees, and a hilarious puppet show that entertained children and adults alike. 

 A steady flow of shoppers moved throughout the space during the four-hour market, starting off their holiday shopping season by benefiting both local businesses and a nonprofit whose goal is to support Seattle’s diverse local ecosystem of makers. 

 It was the combination of neighborhood businesses, local artists, and a community nonprofit working together that made this event memorable. When the community comes together, the results are undeniable. It ensures good business.

Check out our Melrose Night Market video below!